Has anyone seen anything on this yet? Ran across it just snooping around.....

https://www.caffetech.com/grinders/home ... gital.html

And yet while clumping was the outward manifestations of the problem, the real problem was grounds retention and the packed extrusion of grounds through the distinctly odd exit path. That picture is bad, but if all they did was let the grounds fall 4" onto a screen to break the clumps, they've likely just made an even worse home machine.

I looked at the Macap site and there is nothing about the new grinder so I'm just guessing based on the appearance of what seems to be an exit chute right near the bottom front of the grinder

Ira

The person how knows how bad the M4D really is because I have an early one from Chris who promised in his ad that it was the perfect grinder for the home user.

I can relate Ira, as I have one as well - though my experiences with it have not been as bad as yours. I have read your posts regarding the M4D.

I am getting pretty decent shots with minimal extra work.

The Mahlkonig Vario is definitely garnering my attention though....moreso with the latest anti-clumping design. Can't seem to find a Canadian dealer though.

Strangely, when a number of posts from people with Macap M4Ds showed up, grinding times of about 14 seconds were being reported for a roughly 16g shot. Mine is twice as fast as that...grinding 15 grams in about 7 seconds.

Grant

Ira,

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but it sounds like you got a bummer of a grinder. Curious if you are still seeing clumping?

I started off with a brand new Mazzer Mini and found it to be one heck of a slow grinder and super messy to boot, despite doing the schnoz mod to try to control the mess coming out of the doser. One day I went over to pull shots on a friend's Expobar and used his M4D for the first time. I was sold! It ground a double in under 8 seconds and didn't have a drop of grounds outside the portafilter, appealing to the neat freak in me. Static was non-existent and clumping was minimal; less so than my Mini if I didn't whack numerous times as it was grinding. I ended up buying an M4D about a week later and have had it now for over a year now. Admittedly, it generated a bit of clumping until the burrs were broken in (really a cosmetic issue as it does not affect the pours), but within months the clumping had all but vanished.

I don't know if I'd call it the ultimate home grinder as Chris Coffee did when he carried them and as Stefano (EspressoCare) does now. The perfect home grinder has yet to be created, and when it is will be surpassed by an ever better grinder later on. I personally would love to have a bigger grinder - M7, MXK, etc. - with all the features of the M4D but with a short enough hopper (even if it is optional) to allow it to slide under a normal kitchen cabinet. Hopefully something of this sort is in the works.

No, I still despise it and Chris who sold it to me as much as ever. What comes out looks like gravel, not ground coffee. I just put half a pound of Black Cat through it last week and it's still as bad as ever.

Ira

Sorry to hear that. Wish I knew why yours behaves so badly. I've had at least 10 pounds of Black Cat along with a few other Intelly blends through mine with no issues. Very odd...

Just curious... Doesn't Chris have a 30-day or so return policy? Did you try to return it?

ira wrote:No, I still despise it and Chris who sold it to me as much as ever. What comes out looks like gravel, not ground coffee. I just put half a pound of Black Cat through it last week and it's still as bad as ever.

Ira

I've only examined the MD4 at the SCAA, so these comments may not apply

Do you clear the chute after each grind? On of the reasons I got the MC4 was direct access to the chute. It's a PITA, but the MXK, while a better grinder, is a bigger PITA to clear.

The pigtail in the Toolset works a champ at clearing the chute.

Typical MC4 grinds clearing the chute after each shot.

cafeIKE wrote:Do you clear the chute after each grind? On of the reasons I got the MC4 was direct access to the chute. It's a PITA, but the MXK, while a better grinder, is a bigger PITA to clear.

Maybe I should throw it in the car and let you use it for a week or 4, it's only 12 miles or so. As far as I can tell, it's not possible to clean the chute except by vacuuming from both sides.

Ira